The ten-point agreement signed in Mexico City is the first of its kind in Mexico, where at least twenty-two journalists and more than 35,000 people have been killed in drug war related violence since 2006.

“We in the news media should condemn and reject the violence arising from organized crime,” the voluntary accord said, according to ABC News. It also vowed to “ignore and reject any information coming from criminal groups with the purpose of propaganda.”

President Felipe Calderón, who has criticized the media’s coverage of the drug war, praised Thursday’s agreement. His office called it “a clear example of the responsible way in which the participating media outlets treat criminal organizations and the violence they create.”

Supporters of the accord denied any government involvement in the guideline-drafting process. Among other things, the document defends the media’s right to criticize government actions against organized crime operations and it commits media outlets to treat arrested people as suspects and not presume they are guilty.

Sandra Torres, the first lady of Guatemala announced on Thursday she had divorced her husband President Álvaro Colom for the sake of the nation, thereby hoping to skirt a law in Guatemala that blocks the president’s relatives from running for office.

Salvadorans on Thursday marked the 31st anniversary of the assassination of Catholic Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, whose legacy has been honored by the United Nations through the designation of March 24 as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations.

Andes

A Venezuelan food company set a Guinness World Record with a 1,087-pound arepa, a traditional flattened corn flour cake.

Colombia’s economy accelerated by 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, the government said on Thursday, sparking expectations the central bank may raise interest rates more quickly than previously thought.

The race for president in Peru has become surprisingly uncertain, with any of the top five candidates having a shot at winning.

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